Gourd hoard at Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin patch sign

In the pumpkin trade, it all comes down to stem size. To capture the ideal Jack-o-lantern aesthetic, a thick stem is key. That’s what Jon Goldstein, co-owner of the Piedmont Avenue Pumpkin Patch at 4414 Piedmont Ave., thinks. So stay away from the ones up for sale at chain stores, he says. Their stems are…

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This is Halloween (in Oakland)

Halloween is always a time for creepy good fun in Oakland, so this year, we’ve dragged some of our favorite spooky stories up from the vault a little early to help you get into the … er, spirit. Check out these stories of hauntings, Halloween-themed scraper bikes, a bar that really knows how to decorate and much much more…

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“Emporium” event showcases locally made Halloween costumes, risque performers

This Thursday, from 7 - 11 pm, Samantha Stevens hosts the D.I.Y Emporium: A Benefit For Rock Paper Scissors at the Sweets Ballroom in Oakland. About 30 local designers will showcase and sell clothing and accessories to promote buying locally this Halloween. All proceeds will go to Rock Paper Scissors, an art collective in Oakland.

“Back in the day, your mom made your Halloween costume,” says Samantha Stevens, a filmmaker and event planner, and the creator of Thursday night’s D.I.Y. Emporium: A Benefit for Rock Paper Scissors. “That was so much better than the little dinosaur costume you would buy at Wal-Mart.” The Emporium is a combination showcase and sale of clothing, jewelry, hats and homemade costume pieces, some of which would make a mother blush.

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Halloween fun and fund-raising at Children’s Hospital

video by CLARE MAJOR Oct. 14 — Scary was fun at Children’s Hospital Oakland this afternoon. At a costume party, sponsored by national retailer Spirit Halloween, the kids decorated pumpkins and played games. Donations collected at Spirit Halloween stores will be presented to hospitals around the country, including Children’s Hospital Oakland, in early December.

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Pumpkin patch helps Oakland get into Halloween spirit

story, photos and video by KRISTINE WONG At the Piedmont Pumpkin Patch, Halloween is serious business.  Patch owner Jon Goldstein has stocked his grounds,  near the corner of Piedmont and Pleasant Valley Avenues, with 15 types of pumpkins and an eclectic assortment of decorations and paraphernalia — and created a haunted house to boot.

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